Letters, telegrams, memoranda and notes relating to Belgian refugees in Ireland. Irish Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan SJ was a member of the Distribution Committee ‘appointed by the Local Government Board to look after the welfare and distribution of the Belgian Refugees arriving in Dublin’. Most of the letters comprise offers to house refugees or concern schemes to aid them, both physically and spiritually. Includes:
– letter from Dr Bernard Coyne, Bishop of Elphin (1913-1926) to Lady Moloney seeking her assistance in the securement of a disused barracks in order to provide shelter for Belgian refugee families (21 Oct. 1914, 1p.);
– bills from drapers and household stores for items purchased for the refugees;
– letters relating to troubles between Protestants and the Catholic refugees in Portadown;
– letters to Fr Nolan from refugees and members of the Belgian Refugees Committee;
– lists of names and locations of refugees in Ireland and names and addresses of people who housed refugees.

On 17 October 1914, the Father Provincial of the Irish Province of the Society of Jesus, Thomas V. Nolan, received a letter from the Local Government Board to go down to the North Wall at 7.30am on the 18th and meet the 100 Belgian refugees ‘and one hundred each of the following days’. This was due to ‘a few of your Order, who speak Flemish’. Subsequently, the Irish Provincial became a member of the Distribution Committee which looked after the welfare and distribution of refugees arriving in Ireland. The Irish Jesuits received offers to house the refugees and organised schemes to aid them, both physically and spiritually.

Letters from Fr Francis Browne SJ, many written from St Mary’s, Emo, Portarlington, County Laois, to the Irish Provincial on various matters (mostly seeking permission to travel to different locations for the purposes of giving retreats, lectures, visiting friends and family), including his health and his photographic work. Includes letters:
– referring to his securing photos of ‘the ruins on Inniscaltra in Lough Derg…(and)…Castletown at Celbridge’ (29 June 1944, 2pp);
– referring to his eldest sister, Mother Josephine in the Ursuline Convent, Blackrock, County Dublin (17 and 20 September 1944, 2 items);
– concerning his travelling expenses (28 October and 2 November 1944, 2 items);
– his making ‘a set of photographs in Curraghmore House … because I am collecting a set of Georgian Houses & Curraghmore was on the list given me by the Georgian Society’ (9 April 1945, 3pp);
– regarding his ‘camera work’. ‘As you know, I am supplying a series of pictures of “Historic Mansions” each month to ‘Irish Tatler & Sketch’. The first of the series were photos of Shelton Abbey for which the present Lord Wicklow gave his very willing approval…he proposes utilising c as a kind of Hotel or “Country Club” He asked me whether it would be possible for me to go there again to take further photos before the necessary alterations are made’ (8 April 1947, 3pp);
– stating ‘…the editor of ‘Tatler & Sketch’ is pressing me for a further series of “Historic Mansions” to be published in the Autumn. Apparently he found that the first series – Jan. to May – was very popular. Would you permit me to do some journeys for this purpose & to debit them to a “Villa” account: not, as usual, to my Camera account?’ (23 June 1947, 3pp) and
– stating ‘I enclose a list of places I wish to photograph for my next series of “Historic Mansions” – which is due to begin in October. The last set – January – May, brought me £25, & the next will be even more profitable, because the Editor told me that he is so satisfied with the results, that he will print more pictures of each house in the next series’ (14 July 1947, 2pp).